I finally got around to giving my new to me 06 silverstone a proper detailing this weekend. It's looking great now but one thing is bothering me. The windshield has a lot of very tiny scratches on it. I used Zaino Z-12 glass polish on it twice. It might have improved it a little but it definitely didn't make them go away like I was hoping. These scratches are really only visible in direct sunlight. After reading the reviews for Z-12 I was hoping this would do the trick. This was all done by hand. Would using a PC make a difference? Any other ideas?

 

Yes, using a PC will make a big difference. On paint that is. On glass it will help to work the product better and I am sure results will be better as well. How much better? hard to say on glass really.

 

A PC on a polishing pad will help a lot. You can even step up to Menzerna 106 or 85rd if you have it to see if that helps.

Just like paint, glass has a tiny amount of clear film on it too. But it's much easier to go through because it heats up faster than paint does.

 

Get a good glass polish with a glass polish pad. It should get out minor imperfections fairly easily.

 

echo the above comments... absolutely use a machine-
test a corner area first, then move on to the rest of the glass.

and add that glass polish is best at getting small water spots and other imperfections- not much will get bad pits

 

I used a rotoary on full power with a mild rubbing compound and it did not do ANYTHING on the rear window of my old hatchback. Glass is extremely extremely strong and I believe you will need some very intense products to make a mark in it.

 

Well I borrowed my friend's Porter Cable and a Sonus polishing pad. I did 5 coats of Z-12. The scratches are still there. It might have helped a little but not a solution to the problem.

 

From everything I have read on the subject, the removal of scratches from windshields is very difficult and at the very least requires the power of a rotary polisher and polish designed for the task. See, e.g., this informative article on windshield polishing by Todd Helme.

You might also investigate this deep scratch removal kit made by Eastwood.

 

sweet write-up. might need to get that glass kit this summer.